Yesterday afternoon I let Abby out to pee, with our weather being so cold with the windchill I didn't allow her to dawdle. When she came in I noticed she was having trouble bearing weight on her back paw. So I had her lay down and that's when I discovered her middle pad (the big one) was sliced in half! There was no blood, but a big gaping wound. Right away I called my vet, but because of the terrible stormy conditions they were closing early.They told me to keep it clean and cover it with a sock.
Well I attempted the sock thing but she kept removing it.
They were able to get us in this morning, what a hellish drive it was but we made there. Our vet said she must've stepped on something because the slice was so deep, but he was certain it wasn't from being outside for less than two minutes when she was doing her business. He couldn't explain why there was no blood, he said there should have been a lot of bleeding.
He cleaned it, put a thick yellow cream on it, then bandaged it up. Gave her a huge dose of antibiotics and gave us cleaning solution, pain killers and antibiotics to take home. He said unless the bandage comes off leave it alone, but if it does clean it out and redress it. He also said it will take several weeks to heal. She goes back in for another appt on Friday.
I came home and scoured our yard looking for anything that may have cut her foot open but came up empty handed, I thought maybe there would be a trace of blood outside which might help locate whatever cut her but found nothing.
I feel so bad that she had to go thru the night in pain and discomfort. I sat up with her until 4 this morning.
She's resting peacefully now, on the furniture of course but given the circumstances I'm willing to break my own rule of no dogs on the furniture.
It's hard enough for her to get around given she's missing a front leg, and of course the paw that gets hurt is the back one on the same side as the missing one.
Funny thing is Abby isn't the most physically affectionate dog, but when she's not "feeling well" it's a whole different story! She's milking it for all she's worth, and I love it because she's letting me cuddle with her and smothering her in kisses, normally she'd hop up and move away. Not that I like her in pain of course, but I suppose ya could say I'm milking it for all it's worth too, getting the nuggles while I can!

And, what a shame that it's on the same side that she's missing her front leg :sad: .....it must be so hard for her to get around. :grouphug:

I hope her foot heals quickly with no complications. :fingerscr :goodvibes:

Macomom

December 6th, 2009, 07:23 PM

Is she taking anything for the pain? I imagine it must be very very sensitive. Oh, and I think the couch is the dog equivalent of ice cream, it can help fix almost anything :goodvibes:

ancientgirl

December 6th, 2009, 07:52 PM

Poor girl. I hope it happened fast enough for her not to feel it because it sounds painful.

I'm sure she's getting lots of treats.:D

Spatx

December 6th, 2009, 07:54 PM

Ouch! Poor Abby, but she should heal up nicely.

I had something similar happen to my old dog Lucky. Except I know what happened with him - we were at the park and he was running around. Someone had left a broken bottle out and he stepped on it and sliced the paw pad in half. It was awful with him - blood, screaming... ugh. He had to get stitches, but within a few weeks it had all healed up. But I still have vivid memories of that day - I was only about 10 or 12 when it happened, and ran to the community centre and got first aid supplies from them. Bandaged it up so I could get him home, the vet was impressed.

Anyway! Enough about our story :) Milk the cuddles while you can, it benefits both of you :cloud9: Must be hard for her since she is missing the front leg. Heal quickly, sweetie!

Chaser

December 6th, 2009, 10:14 PM

Oh poor Abby! That is so bizarre that would happen when evrything is snow-covered. I hope the meds are making her more comfortable, and what a lucky girl having Mom take care of her!

Get well soon Abby :goodvibes:

hazelrunpack

December 6th, 2009, 10:43 PM

Owie!!! :eek: Poor girl! Heal up fast, Abby! :goodvibes:

Dee-O-Gee

December 6th, 2009, 11:05 PM

Sending Abby :grouphug: :grouphug:'s and :highfive: :highfive:'s for a speedy recovery! :thumbs up

Is she taking anything for the pain? I imagine it must be very very sensitive. Oh, and I think the couch is the dog equivalent of ice cream, it can help fix almost anything :goodvibes:
Yes she has pain medication, I gave her one of her pills just after she ate, and it literally knocked her out, she's all curled up in the armchair snoring away. I know she was in a lot of discomfort so I'm glad she's getting some relief.

Poor girl. I hope it happened fast enough for her not to feel it because it sounds painful.

I'm sure she's getting lots of treats.:D
That's the strange thing, I never heard her yelp or anything...I'm going to be searching the yard again tomorrow to see if I can find something that could be attributed to her injury.
She's getting lots of lovins, but no "eatable" treats, she's on a diet! We need to keep her weight down because of having only one front leg. She got up to 67 lbs, and in the last couple weeks we've gotten her down to 62. Ideally we would like her at around 50-55 lbs, that way her front leg will hold up longer. At some point she will get severe arthritis, but we are going to do our best to prolong that from happening.

Ouch! Poor Abby, but she should heal up nicely.

I had something similar happen to my old dog Lucky. Except I know what happened with him - we were at the park and he was running around. Someone had left a broken bottle out and he stepped on it and sliced the paw pad in half. It was awful with him - blood, screaming... ugh. He had to get stitches, but within a few weeks it had all healed up. But I still have vivid memories of that day - I was only about 10 or 12 when it happened, and ran to the community centre and got first aid supplies from them. Bandaged it up so I could get him home, the vet was impressed.

Anyway! Enough about our story :) Milk the cuddles while you can, it benefits both of you :cloud9: Must be hard for her since she is missing the front leg. Heal quickly, sweetie!

Spatx, thank you for sharing your story and I'm glad it had a happy ending.
I noticed Nova in your Avatar, and as usual had to swoon over that adorable face!:cloud9:
I am milking the cuddles as much as possible when she's awake, and I agree it benefits both of us. Of course Jersey and Kato get jealous and try to barge in on the action...sigh...I wish I had more arms:)

lappleton404

December 7th, 2009, 01:11 AM

Sorry to hear that, I hope she gets well asap. Too bad for her to have an injury on a bad weather... Hugs for Abby...

ownedbycats

December 7th, 2009, 01:01 PM

I know he's not an animal, but my brother did something similar when we were younger. We were crawling around in the snow making snowballs over at the park and he cut his knee open on a bottle. He didn't feel it right away because the cold numbed it, and seemed to slow the bleeding at least until he went inside. Maybe the cold worked the same way for Abby, keeping her paw numb so she didn't feel anything right away?

14+kitties

December 7th, 2009, 05:20 PM

Ouch! Poor Abby!! I agree with the milking the sick thing. I do it too. You never want to see your babies sick but when they are....... :cloud9:
Sending lots of :fingerscr:goodvibes: for a fast healing!!

Luvmypitgirls

December 7th, 2009, 08:35 PM

Once again thank you to all for the well wishes for Abby, today has been a difficult day.
I had to wrap her bandaged paw in a Walmart bag so she could go outside to do her business, with the windchill here today it's the equivilent of -28 to -30, her one front paw started to freeze up quite quickly so I had to race out into the snow and scoop her up to bring her back inside. Because I was worried about her one and only front paw, I panicked and when I ran out I myself was barefoot. My poor toes throbbed for 20 minutes from being in the snow for maybe 20 seconds.
I managed to get Abby inside and get the Walmart bag off her paw, but my feet being wet and cold, I ended up slipping on the tile, sliding pretty much across the entire kitchen when I keeled over and landed on my butt. Now my tailbone is throbbing, I probably instigated a previous injury, because it hurts like hell to sit, to stand, to walk even laying down is painful.
Then I gave Abby her antibiotics, first I gave her a couple of thick juicy slices of leftover roast beef, well within half an hour she was puking up roast and I also discovered the half tablet of the one and a half I gave her undigested in the vomit.
Then after lunch I once again wrapped her foot and let her out, this time I put on a pair of shoes. Her front paw started to freeze and she began to cry. With my back in horrid pain, I had to lift her and carry her back into the house. She was crying, I was crying, it was just such a scene.
After dinner we went thru the same senerio, only this time I absolutely couldn't lift her up when I went to retrieve her. I took off my coat and coaxed her onto it and then like a sled I dragged her to the steps of the deck then she hobbled up and to the door. It took me a few moments to be able to tackle the steps but I finally reached the door, and I had to tug and tug, because in the few moments we were out there it had already begun to freeze shut from the condensation when I opened it to let her out. Hurting my back even more.
So now poor Abby and I are in pain, the only silver lining is that hubby is off early today and he can come home and take care of both of us.

I know he's not an animal, but my brother did something similar when we were younger. We were crawling around in the snow making snowballs over at the park and he cut his knee open on a bottle. He didn't feel it right away because the cold numbed it, and seemed to slow the bleeding at least until he went inside. Maybe the cold worked the same way for Abby, keeping her paw numb so she didn't feel anything right away?

You could be right, but I would've thought with a cut that deep there would've been blood at some point, even just a few drops, but we have found nothing.
I did a search of the yard again and still couldn't find anything :shrug:

hazelrunpack

December 7th, 2009, 08:48 PM

It never rains but it pours, eh, LMPG :grouphug: I hope hubby is pampering you tonight!!!

:goodvibes: for a better day tomorrow!

Frenchy

December 7th, 2009, 08:57 PM

sounds like a shi**y day :sad: you need to take a hot bath and relax :cloud9:

rainbow

December 8th, 2009, 12:22 AM

Awww, LMPG, big hugs to both you and Abby :grouphug: ....sometimes life just sucks. :grouphug:

Speedy healing to you both. :fingerscr :goodvibes:

chico2

December 8th, 2009, 08:55 AM

Oh no LMPG,what a terrible day for both you and beautiful Abby:grouphug:
I hope today things will be better:goodvibes::fingerscr:pray:
I heard from my son how awfully cold it is in Alberta,please be careful:grouphug:

Luvmypitgirls

December 8th, 2009, 03:01 PM

It never rains but it pours, eh, LMPG :grouphug: I hope hubby is pampering you tonight!!!

:goodvibes: for a better day tomorrow!

Thanks Hazel, no hubby didn't pamper me like I had hoped he would, he was more concerned about sitting in the garage sorting thru stuff.:frustrated: He did however take a few minutes to nuggle with Abby, and he did run me a nice hot bath...however when I had difficulty getting out of the tub, he was nowhere to be found:frustrated:

sounds like a shi**y day :sad: you need to take a hot bath and relax :cloud9:

Thanks Frenchy.The hot bath helped enough for me to relax and fall asleep, woke up this morning and the pain is now going down my left leg, I can barely move it, siatic nerve issues in full force:sad:

Awww, LMPG, big hugs to both you and Abby :grouphug: ....sometimes life just sucks. :grouphug:

Speedy healing to you both. :fingerscr :goodvibes:

Thanks rainbow, and yes sometimes life just sucks :laughing:, I gotta laugh cuz it's the better alternative to laying in bed crying all day. I really need to get a start on my Christmas baking, was going to make Pumpkin bread today but not sure it'll happen.

Oh no LMPG,what a terrible day for both you and beautiful Abby:grouphug:
I hope today things will be better:goodvibes::fingerscr:pray:
I heard from my son how awfully cold it is in Alberta,please be careful:grouphug:

Thanks chico, yeah it's frigid here in Alberta, the good news is it's supposed to go up to -8 tomorrow, which is balmy compared to the -17 (-26 windchill) we are having today, and downright Spring like compared to yesterday even.
The bad news, is it's going to bring even more snow, which means I'll have to be out there shovelling, which means...more back pain. Hubby works days tomorrow, so he won't be here to shovel, my son can't do it because of his recent heart issues, and my youngest well for obvious reasons he can't do it...so yeah it's up to me yet again....uh huh sometimes life just sucks!:laughing:

rainbow

December 8th, 2009, 03:15 PM

Awww, LMPG, can you not hire a kid to shovel for you if it does snow? :grouphug: :fingerscr

We're -10C and -16C with the windchill here ....not supposed to warm up until the weekend though.

How is your son doing with the heart issue? :fingerscr

Luvmypitgirls

December 8th, 2009, 04:06 PM

Awww, LMPG, can you not hire a kid to shovel for you if it does snow? :grouphug: :fingerscr

We're -10C and -16C with the windchill here ....not supposed to warm up until the weekend though.

How is your son doing with the heart issue? :fingerscr

The last specialist we seen, has referred us to yet another specialist, and we cannot get in to see him until March. They told us that if things get worse or he has another "episode" we are to go to the Emergency Dept at the Foothills hospital in Calgary. The last time we took him to the Emerg, with severe chest pain, we sat there for almost 16 hours:frustrated: They took his vitals every hour, but it was almost 16 hours before we seen a doctor, and by then the pain had subsided. They hooked him up to a heart monitor for 10 minutes and the readout came back normal so they told us to make sure we had Asprin on hand and sent us home. Sometimes these "episodes" last mere minutes and other times they last much longer, but the key I suppose is getting checked while one is actually happening :shrug:
He hasn't had an "episode" in a couple weeks now, at least not like previous episodes. He says he gets dull pains in his chest now and then but they are tolerable.
So I'm trying to keep things on an even keel for him, not letting him over exert himself, watching his salt intake, making sure he's eating properly. I have taken away his weight gain powder, and he has not had an energy drink since this started....(at least not that I know of).
He hasn't been sleeping very well lately, which is a cause of concern, because on top of all his other issues, chronic insomnia can affect the heart too. The doctor is reluctant to prescribe anything to help him sleep right now, so he gave us a list of natural remedies to look into. Jay of course isn't interested in trying any of it:rolleyes:

rainbow

December 9th, 2009, 02:33 AM

WOW, March is still a long time away. :grouphug: My hubby has been waiting over four months now to get in to see a heart specialist in Kelowna. Our medical system certainly sucks with all these waiting lists. :frustrated:

If he isn't doing much all day then that will cause insomnia since his body is basically resting all day even though he is awake. Will the doctor at least allow him to go for walks to get some exercize? :fingerscr

Luvmypitgirls

December 9th, 2009, 01:06 PM

WOW, March is still a long time away. :grouphug: My hubby has been waiting over four months now to get in to see a heart specialist in Kelowna. Our medical system certainly sucks with all these waiting lists. :frustrated:

If he isn't doing much all day then that will cause insomnia since his body is basically resting all day even though he is awake. Will the doctor at least allow him to go for walks to get some exercize? :fingerscr

Actually the doctor told him going for a walk would be good for him, as long as he doesn't overdo it, no running but walking is fine. Unfortunately, I think he is slipping into depression. He hasn't gone for a walk in the last few weeks, not even to walk his dog, so I take him. However, with how cold it's been the last few days, none of our dogs have gone for a walk. It's just been far too cold.
He helps out around the house doing dishes, running the vaccuum, feeding the dogs and such, I never have to ask him to do those things he takes them upon himself to do, I think he feels very guilty that he isn't capable of paying his room and board.
I have offered to give him some money to do his Christmas shopping, he could pay us back when he's able (he has always paid us back when he needs to borrow money), but he declined our offer. His EI should be in shortly after the holidays, he said he'll do his shopping then. He just seems so down, of course I don't expect him to be all happy about his condition, but wallowing in self pity doesn't help things either.
The waiting lists are crazy, even a friend of mine hashad to wait almost 6 months to see a specialist for her back, she waited almost 18 months to see a specialist for her shoulder. It's nuts. You'd think tho, that with heart issues they wouldn't make ppl wait so long.

Dog Dancer

December 9th, 2009, 04:36 PM

LMPG sounds like you need a hug. :grouphug: Hope that helped. I really hope your son feels better soon, and maybe the holidays will help lift his depression a bit. I agree that you need tohire somebody to shovel for you.
I hope Abby's foot heals up quickly, we had a deep cut like that once too (but from a bite) our vet glued it shut. I hope your back gets better soon also, man you are having a hard go right now. I hope it all gets back on track for you soon.

chico2

December 9th, 2009, 04:55 PM

LMPG,I too am dealing with my son and his depression,he was born with a severe heartproblem had 2 open heart-surgeries,but now he is really deterioating and can't even do his walks anymore.
He's waiting for his doc to say,ok,will operate again,but it's not going to happen any time soon,as long as he can function,they are not going to risk it.
It's very difficult as a mom to deal with,you want to sway a magic wand to fix them and make them happy,but it just does not work that way..:sad:

My husband on the other hand,got an appointment with a heart-specialist in no time and is going for an angiogram tuesday,the heart is scary stuff:sad:

Luvmypitgirls

December 10th, 2009, 09:16 PM

LMPG sounds like you need a hug. :grouphug: Hope that helped. I really hope your son feels better soon, and maybe the holidays will help lift his depression a bit. I agree that you need tohire somebody to shovel for you.
I hope Abby's foot heals up quickly, we had a deep cut like that once too (but from a bite) our vet glued it shut. I hope your back gets better soon also, man you are having a hard go right now. I hope it all gets back on track for you soon.

Thank you DD, I appreciate the hug:cloud9:
I had to change Abby's dressings today, it's clean but still a deep gash. I rewrapped it, and I think I did a better job than my vet!:D Well a prettier job I mean. Thank you for the well wishes, I'm sure everything will pan out.

LMPG,I too am dealing with my son and his depression,he was born with a severe heartproblem had 2 open heart-surgeries,but now he is really deterioating and can't even do his walks anymore.
He's waiting for his doc to say,ok,will operate again,but it's not going to happen any time soon,as long as he can function,they are not going to risk it.
It's very difficult as a mom to deal with,you want to sway a magic wand to fix them and make them happy,but it just does not work that way..:sad:

My husband on the other hand,got an appointment with a heart-specialist in no time and is going for an angiogram tuesday,the heart is scary stuff:sad:

Chico2...many many :grouphug: to you. I'm sorry your son is battling depression as well. It is definately a struggle. I am so sorry to hear he is deteriorating to the point where he can't even do his walks anymore. Too bad we didn't live closer to each other, perhaps our son's just need someone that can relate personally to the fears they are having right now.
It's interesting that you mentioned your husband and how he got an appt with a heart specialist in no time. The reason I say that is, we just received an e-mail from my FIL out in Vancouver, that he is going in for an angiogram on the 16th of Dec, his referral was made and in less than a week he was seen by a specialist and already has an angiogram booked. Of course this isn't the kind of information I believe family should be sharing via email, I think he could've called us on the phone to discuss this, now my hubby is all scared about his Dad. Hubby called him, but he didn't want to discuss the exact details of his issue or condition, which of course left my hubby feeling even worse.:sad:
Chico2, feel free to PM me anytime if ya just want to rant, or if you feel comfortable enough to PM me your phone number I have free long distance anywhere in Canada and US, I could call ya and we could chat for awhile if you want. I don't log on everyday right now, but if you do PM me I will get back to you as soon as I can. If you are not comfortable with me calling that's ok I understand.
Either way, big hugs to you.

Macomom

December 11th, 2009, 09:52 AM

Hello Lmpg,

I hope that you can intervene with your son before he becomes clinically depressed. Depression is such a strange illness to have, and can be difficult to overcome.
Good luck and please don't hesitate to post if you need support.

Magicwildwolf69

December 11th, 2009, 08:54 PM

Hello Lmpg,

I hope that you can intervene with your son before he becomes clinically depressed. Depression is such a strange illness to have, and can be difficult to overcome.
Good luck and please don't hesitate to post if you need support.

Sadly some people (like me) don't over come clinical depression but some do. lucky for me meds help a little.

sorry didn't mean to thread jack a bit. hope abby and your back are doing better. i feel so bad! wish i could come over and help. Wish i could help everyone in the world sometimes. Hope your son cheers up soon even with his condition and hope he can get into see a specialist soon. :grouphug: you'll be in my prayers

Luvmypitgirls

December 15th, 2009, 03:34 PM

Hello Lmpg,

I hope that you can intervene with your son before he becomes clinically depressed. Depression is such a strange illness to have, and can be difficult to overcome.
Good luck and please don't hesitate to post if you need support.

Thank you very much Macomom, I appreciate the support. I will admit, at times I become very overwhelmed, with all he is going thru.

Sadly some people (like me) don't over come clinical depression but some do. lucky for me meds help a little.

sorry didn't mean to thread jack a bit. hope abby and your back are doing better. i feel so bad! wish i could come over and help. Wish i could help everyone in the world sometimes. Hope your son cheers up soon even with his condition and hope he can get into see a specialist soon. :grouphug: you'll be in my prayers